This invention relates to wearing articles or clothes with a taping function which are adapted to be worn on and tightly fitted on various parts of the human body so as to reinforce the relevant articulations (joints) and muscles.
When participating in various types of sport activities and trainings, or taking part in various kinds of exercise for fitness purposes, people put on the type of wearing articles which prevent an external wound and prevent the relapse of a wound. In addition, in order to effectively prevent an injury and to provide an effective remedy, there has been widely used a so-called taping treatment in which a suitable length of tape of an elastic nature or a nonelastic nature is tightly wound on or adhesively bonded tightly to the articulation, the muscle or the ligament of the human body. Namely, the taping treatment is used to prevent an injury, a wound resulting from fatigue, the relapse of such wound, or to provide an emergency treatment at the site immediately after an accident. After the injury is healed, the taping is used for reinforcing the healed portion. Originally, the taping is intended to reinforce the articulation and the muscle, using a medical or an athletic adhesive tape having an acrylic resin adhesive coated on one surface of a substrate of cotton or polyester, and this tape is adapted to be tightly wound on or adhesively bonded to a required portion of the human body so as to prevent an injury, to provide an emergency treatment, to promote rehabilitation and to prevent the relapse of an injury.
Besides such taping, there have been widely used supporters which are made of an elastic material and adapted to be put on a portion of the human body, such as an ankle and a knee.
However, when the tape is to be applied to a required portion of the human body, much skill is needed for such taping treatment. If the tape is not applied properly (for example, the application of the tape to an improper portion, or by an unskillful and inadequate taping), not only is the intended purpose (i.e., the prevention of an injury and a remedy) is achieved, but also this adversely affects various kinds of exercise, which may result in the interruption in blood circulation and a nerval trouble, and besides this tends to adversely affect the muscle. Therefore, it is necessary that the tape should be applied by those who have acquired a taping technique, and unskilled persons can not easily apply the tape.
When a supporter is to be used, a suitable supporter of a configuration corresponding to a required portion of the human body is chosen, and it can be quite easily attached to the required portion. However, although the supporter can provide a support in a direction perpendicular to the human body surface, it can not provide a required support force in a direction inclined relative to the human body surface, or in a spiral direction, or in a direction along the human body surface, so that a sufficient support can not be achieved because of an insufficient tightening force. Namely, such a supporter merely applies a pressure to the human body, but can not function to limit the movement of the relevant portion of the human body. Particularly when a force is applied to the abdominal muscle or the like, the muscle is expanded and contracted, and therefore the muscle is expanded to increase its diameter. Therefore, when a force is applied to the human body surface in perpendicular relation thereto, the expansion and contraction of the muscle are prevented, and fatigue is not alleviated, and in contrast this causes a muscle fatigue.
In addition to the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art methods, another disadvantage has been encountered with the above taping and the above supporters. More specifically, that portion of the human body surface to which the taping or the supporter is applied is subjected to a tightening force, and therefore the difference between said that surface and the other surface portions appears because of the pressure difference, so that an unnatural step and profile can be recognized from the external appearance. This is quite unsightly, and particularly in the case of women, whose silhouette can not be kept beautiful.